Lone Wolverine - Story One
by CrosserX
Summary: First story in my "Lone Wolverine Short Story Series." Logan leaves the X-Men after having to face the death of the woman he loves. He finds himself in the cold mountains of rural West Virginia, where he meets a woman with a gruesome past and a thirst for revenge. As they discover they share a common enemy, the unlikely pair seek to avenge those they loved.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

Logan left the Mansion quietly, his old backpack slung over his shoulder. The gravel crunched under his feet as he approached his truck. He looked back towards the Mansion, and saw a light flicker on upstairs. A moment later, she appeared at the window. She was in her nightgown, her hair pulled back except for the white streaks, which were hanging around her face.

She and Logan caught each others eyes, and a sad frown came over her face. She pressed her currently bare hand against the window.

Logan winked and nodded to her. She frowned deeper and looked down, her eyes staring at the floor. Then she was doing something with her hands.

A moment later, she held up a piece of notebook paper with rough, black words scrawled across.

_Come Home Soon._

Logan nodded and put his fist over his heart in a silent promise to her. Then he threw his stuff in the bed of the truck, got in the driver's seat, and left.

He watched behind him as her light flickered off, and then he looked straight ahead at the road again.

He had no idea where he was going. He just needed to get away for a while. Get away from the kids, from the noise – from _her _memory, which still lingered, bittersweet, at the school_. _He couldn't come to terms with her being gone, and every time he thought of it, he went into a rage inside himself. The whole place reminded him of the woman he had loved; the smells, the sights, the people. One more day dealing with Scott, and he'd gladly jump off the Baxter Building.

After thinking for a moment, Logan turned his truck around. He drove back to the Mansions garage and entered the security code, granting him access.

Logan approached Scott's Porsche Boxster Convertible. Without a second thought, he popped his claws, and stabbed each one of Scott's tires. Satisfied, he went back to his truck, and left the estate.

He left Westcheser, then New York. He just kept driving.

Where would he stop?


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah blinked open her eyes groggily as her alarm clock chimed. Its bright red numbers said _6:02 a.m._ Sighing, Sarah made herself roll out of bed and head for the bathroom. After combing out her ginger hair, she turned the shower on, and waited the four minutes it took for the water to heat in the old farm house. Finally, she stepped into the lukewarm water and bathed. When she finished, she went through her routine of dressing in jeans and a long flannel shirt. She pulled on a thick pair of wool socks, and headed down the stairs.

While her coffee brewed, Sarah slipped on her boots and went outside to gather some wood. She brought it in and placed it on the other side of her wood stove to dry. She took a few of her dry pieces from the night before and tossed them into the stove. Soon it would be toasty and warm in her house.

She drank her coffee as she read the local paper – the most exciting thing in there was that they had finally caught the raccoon tearing out Old Man Rankin's garbage. And that was just how Sarah liked it – mild and subtle in her little town. Indeed, nothing major had happened since the accident with her parents, seven years ago.

Her face changed as she remembered coming home to find her mom and dad dead on the very floor she was standing on now. Of the claw marks they were covered in, and of the overwhelming smell of animal in the house . . .

The police had said it was a freak accident, that whatever the animal was – rather it have been a bear or a coyote – it must have been desperate to wonder into a home and attack humans. They said it was lucky Sarah hadn't been home – though she didn't believe that. She believed that she could have saved her parents, if only she had been home instead of out with her friends.

Sarah sighed, attempting to clear her head a bit before standing and pulling on her heavy coat. She yanked a wool cap over her head, and opened the door.

The cold, biting winter air immediately made her nose go red and her fingers go numb. But she didn't mind.

She went around the back of her house, and opened the shed with all of the feed in it. She filled two pails with chicken feed, and made her way to the coop. She opened the door and ducked through, pouring the feed into the containers they ate from during the winter. Sarah went to the water supply and checked it, making sure it was clean and full. It was a bit low; she hit the faucet, and watched her 30 some chickens and one rooster peck at their food.

When the water had been filled, Sarah left the coop and returned to the shed, where she filled four larger pails with grain and alfalfa; she walked to the fence behind her house and let out a long whistle; a few moments later, there was a high pitched whinny, and Melanie, her youngest mare – an Arabian – came trotting into view. She pranced to her food pan to wait patiently, her pure white coat fitting right in with the snow covered back ground.

A moment later, Lizzie – a small Walker mare with a beautiful roan coat – and Dodger – a rather large buckskin Walker gelding with a black mane – approached happily.

Finally, Dolly slowly ambled towards them. Dolly was a 27 year old quarter horse, still going strong. She was alpha of the little herd, and she had that air of authority to her. She was healthy, despite her thinning grey coat.

Sarah fed her horses. While they ate, she headed to her tack room and pulled down Dodgers leather saddle and matching bridle. She pulled it up on her shoulder, and grabbed the Indian blanket for under it.

She saddled him up quickly and opened the gate, leading him out, then turning to lock the gate. Then she pulled herself into the saddle, turned Dodger around, and led him up the path onto the mountain.

The higher they went, the colder it got. Dodger didn't mind, and neither did Sarah. She was relaxed. She loved these mountains and her horses.

Dodger suddenly stopped, his legs spread and his ears perked. He let out a long snort.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Sarah asked, placing her hand on her neck.

Both she and the horse started as a loud explosion rocked the ground. She could see the smoke billowing up over the trees, and she gave Dodgers sides a nudge.

He took off towards the explosion, dodging trees and rocks. She pulled Dodger to a stop a few hundred feet from the fire and smoke. She hopped off of him and ran towards it.

"Hello?" She called. "Is anyone here?"

She then smelled the sickening, overwhelming scent of blood. She swayed with the sudden feeling of nausea, but held it back as she approached the source of the blood.

A man lay on his back, a deep gash all the way across his face. His chest was ripped open.

Sarah took a step back, stifling a scream.

Then she gasped as something grabbed the back of her jacket, picking her up and slamming her against the tree. A strong, clawed hand wrapped around her neck. She clawed at the hand, but it only tightened. She lifted her eyes to look at her attacker.

His dirty yellow hair hung around his face, his yellow eyes shining. Blood was splattered across his clothes. He showed sharp fangs as he sneered. He took a deep intake of breath, his nose pressed to her shoulder.

"You smell familiar," he growled. "Are you an X-Man? A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

"I – I don't know what you're talking about," she gasped.

He smelled her again, and then grinned. "No, I remember that scent. . ."

"Hey," came a voice from behind the attacker. "Turn around."

The man growled, turning and dropping Sarah, who gasped for breath. Sarah touched her neck, which was bleeding and bruised.

She looked up to see the dead man – or, now, not so dead – face off against the man with fangs. Her eyes drooped closed . . .

* * *

Logan cursed. He was missing a large chunk of skin out of his arm, and he was blind in one eye. Creed advanced towards him, but suddenly stopped, hesitating.

"We'll finish this later," Sabretooth growled.

"Gotta curfew, princess?" Logan snarled.

Sabretooth growled again and turned, bounding through the forest.

Logan shook his head, regaining his vision as his eye grew back. He looked towards the girl, and sighed. He approached her and leaned in front of her. "Hey, lady," he said. "You alright?"

She opened her eyes halfway for a moment before allowing them to slide closed again. "Your face is bleeding," she said.

Logan almost smiled. "Yeah," he said. He picked her up, getting her scent and following it. Logan was a bit surprised that the horse she had been riding followed closely.

The farm house finally came into view, and Logan pushed the door open; he laid the girl on the sofa close to the wood stove, and draped a blanket over her. He found a first aid kit under the sink and cleaned her up the best he could, feeling responsible for her getting hurt in the first place. He put a Band-Aid on a cut on her forehead, and looked around before returning outside. He unsaddled her horse and put it in the field with the others. Then he went to scout out the area.


	3. Chapter 3

Logan returned from checking the area for any signs of Sabretooth towards the evening. He sat on the porch, smoking a cigar. The girl had a pretty nice thing going, in his opinion. Isolated from the town, just the horses and the chickens for company. She had a decent sized barn next to the paddock. It was warm and furnished better than her house. Logan had inspected it, and found a large upstairs loft where hay was stored, and a bedroom with a bathroom.

Logan heard a rustling and looked up; he saw a dirty, brown animal slinking around the chicken coop. Logan's claw immediately shot out, and he started to stand when he realized it wasn't Sabretooth, but a very sickly, very skinny coyote. It started scratching to get under the coop. Logan started to get up and shoo it off. The coyote looked up at Logan and growled deeply, baring its teeth. It jumped up and started bounding towards Logan.

There was a loud, ringing shot from a gun, and the coyote fell dead to the ground. Logan turned around, surprised, to see the girl standing in her doorway with a smoking shotgun. She lowered the gun and walked towards the coyote, nudging it over with her foot.

"You didn't have to shot it," Logan said, a bit disappointed that he didn't get the scrap he was hoping for.

"What, so you could maul the thing with your claws?" the girl retorted.

Logan looked down at his claws, shrugged, and retracted them. "You gonna shot me too?"

She gave him a look that said _Get Real_ and checked her chicken coop. She stood, pleased with the minimal damage. She led Logan inside, leaning her gun beside the door.

"So I guess I should thank you for saving my life," she said, boiling some water for tea.

"Guess you should," Logan said, a small smile playing at his lips.

She sighed and turned to look at him. "_Thank you._"

He nodded his acknowledgment, and she sat down in the chair by the stove. "Sarah."

"Logan," he replied.

They were quiet for a few moments. Then Sarah got up and made their tea. She handed him a cup. "So what were you doing in the middle of the woods, in West Virginia, in December?"

Logan took a gulp of his tea. "Business."

"Is that right?" she raised her eyebrows. "Then I don't suppose you could explain the large, hairy man that almost killed me?"

Logan almost smiled again. "Don't suppose I could."

"I didn't think so," Sarah replied.

They were silent again as they drank their tea.

"What were _you _doing?" Logan finally asked.

Sarah smiled. "Pleasure riding. Dodger's young, doesn't get out much."

"He stayed pretty calm."

"He's a good boy."

"You train him?"

She nodded. "Had him since he was born. His mom died having him, I bottle fed him, everything." She smiled fondly.

"Is that what you do for a living?" Logan asked as he stood and went to the kitchen. He placed his cup in the sink.

Sarah gave a bitter laugh. "Used too," she said. She frowned and followed Logan into the kitchen.

He was looking in the fridge, in all of the cabinets. Sarah leaned against the door frame, her head tilted, watching him. He didn't stop.

"Is there something I can help you find?" she asked.

Logan sighed and stood. "The guy who attacked you goes by Sabretooth. He's –"

"A mutant. Healing factor, enhanced senses, super strength, big claws and teeth."

Logan looked at her, shocked and suspicious. "You know more than you let on, Ginger."

She ignored the obvious shot at her hair and shrugged. "I've done my research. After my parents died, I was convinced that it wasn't an accident. I did some research on what or who could have been responsible. I came across this Sabretooth guy online, on a government site with animal-like mutants and experiments."

"How'd you get access to that?"

"I . . . know a guy," she said, shifting her feet. "Helped me out. Anyways, not important. He was on there."

There was a knock on the door, and Logan automatically went on edge.

"Relax," Sarah said. "I saw the car pull up. It's Deputy Fisher."

Logan looked out the window to see the blue and white, and calmed down.

Sarah opened the door. "Hi, Fred."

"Howdy, Sarah. Mrs. Belle said she heard some gunshots coming up here your way, wanted me to make sure everything was alright." He gestured to her head, concern on his face. "If your head alright?"

"I'm fine, Fred. I slipped on the ice this morning while feeding the horses. As for the gunshots, that was me. There was a coyote trying to get to my chickens. I was actually just about to call you about that – I know you guys like to pick 'em up for rabies testing. Would you like to come in?"

"Well, I reckon I could come in for a few minutes . . ."

Logan glanced at him, and had to stifle a laugh. Deputy Sheriff Fred Fisher was lanky and thin. He had thinning brown hair and a mustache. He was the kind of guy who took his hat off when he came inside.

He was taken aback by Logan, who was still sitting on the couch. "Hi," Fisher said.

Logan nodded, a beer in his hand. "Hey, bub."

"Oh, Fred, this is Logan," Sarah said. "He's, um."

"I'm a horse trainer," Logan said. "Long time friend of Sarah's."

"Right!" Sarah said. "We meet a few years ago, remember Fred, when I went to Minnesota for that clinic . . ."

"Sure, sure," Fred said, shaking Logan's free hand. "Good to meet you. Horse trainer, huh? Wouldn't have guessed, you don't look like the horse type."

"That's okay, you don't look like the Deputy type," Logan replied.

Sarah rolled her eyes, and Fred frowned, not really knowing what to say.

"Well, I should be going," Fred said. "Call me if you need anything, Sarah."

"Sure thing, Fred."

"And, listen, if you're in town anytime soon, if you stop by the station, maybe we could get some coffee?"

"I'll let you know."

He nodded to them, and left.

The second he was out the door, Logan grinned.

Sarah looked at him. "What?" she snapped.

"That's the guy you know, huh? Well, next time you're in town, if you stop by the _station_ . . ." He snorted.

"What?" Sarah frowned.

"Let me guess – the station doubles as the city hall."

"So?" Sarah asked, but she was grinning.

"Come on, Ginger. He's the kinda guy who takes girls out for c_offee. _Tell me you're not –"

"No! No, oh, God, no! Fred and I are strictly friends," Sarah gasped.

"Sounded like he thinks so too," Logan grinned.

She rolled her eyes. Then she looked a bit awkward. "Have any place to stay for the night?"

Logan's grin widened. "Well, I do now."


	4. Chapter 4

"_Logan. Logan. I'm here, Logan."_

Logan opened his eyes, surrounded by nothing but silver. He caught a sweet scent, and his heart beat faster.

"Where are you?" he cried.

"_I'm here, Logan. I'll always be here."_

"I can't see you!" he said, turning and looking frantically.

"_You don't have to. I'm here."_ The words were fading.

"Wait!" Logan cried, his knees weak. "Wait, don't leave! Please! I need you!"

"_I'm here, Logan."_

"_Logan!"_

"_LOGAN!"_

Logan's eyes flew open, Sarah standing over him, shaking him gently. "Logan?"

Logan took some deep breaths. "What is it?"

"You were talking in your sleep. You sounded upset, so I woke you."

Logan blinked a few times, sitting up. Sunlight was streaming in through the window.

"You okay?" Sarah asked.

Logan sighed and nodded, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry."

Sarah spread her hands. "Hey, it was _your_ nightmare, yeah?"

"Yeah," Logan said, frowning. "Yeah, a nightmare."

"Listen, I called Fred this morning," Sarah said from the kitchen. "He said we could come down to the station."

"For what?" Logan asked, standing and joining her in the kitchen.

"I want you to take a look at the evidence from my parents case, and tell me if it was Sabretooth's work."

"Why?"

"Because," she said, without turning around as she made the coffee. "If he did, I'm going to find the son of a bitch and kill him."

* * *

Logan had to admit, the girl had attitude. She could scowl with the best of them, and even when she was quiet, Logan could smell her excitement and nervous energy.

They arrived at the small building that was the town hall doubling as the police station. Sarah led the way, and Fred stood hastily when she entered, knocking his desk chair over. There was a small comb on his desk, and Logan had the feeling that the cop had been combing his mustache, anxiously awaiting Sarah's arrival.

Fred's face fell when he saw Logan. "Mister Logan," he greeted.

"Cop," Logan nodded back.

Fred turned his attention to Sarah. "The Sheriff is out," he said. "You have about a half an hour. You'd better hurry."

Sarah nodded, and Fred led them to a small back room that he had to unlock. He let them in, and nodded to a filing cabinet. "Top drawer."

Sarah pulled the drawer open, and pulled the file out, spreading it across the table. She spread out the several pictures that had been taken.

Logan kept his cool on the outside, but on the inside his stomach clenched. He looked closer at the deep gashes that had slashed through the clothes and skin of Sarah's parents. The pictures were gruesome – blood was all over the room, and there were claw marks in furniture as well. Logan immediately recognized the marks, and he frowned.

"We think it must have been a bear," Fred said. "The only thing big enough to leave damage like that . . . Never found it . . ."

"And you never will," Logan replied.

Sarah looked at him, and held up a plastic baggie. Inside was a sharp, evilly curved yellow claw. Logan opened the baggie. Fred opened his mouth to object – it was evidence, after all, no matter how old – but a glance from Sarah told him to shut up.

Logan sniffed the claw, running his hand over it. He looked at Sarah.

Her brows furrowed, and she frowned. "Logan? Is it . . .?"

Logan looked away. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

He expected her to tear up and get tight chested. Instead, the anger of this news radiated off of her.

Fred had no idea what was going on. When he asked, Logan shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, bub," Logan said.

Logan looked at Sarah. "I'm going to take care of it, alright?"

"Like hell," she snapped, storming off into the office. Fred and Logan exchanged glances and followed.

Sarah had taken down a shotgun from the wall and was loading it.

"Sarah, what are you doing?" Fred asked nervously.

She finished loading it. She looked at Fred. "I appreciate all you've done for us, Fred, really. But I need to take matters into my own hands from here."

Then she smiled cheerfully and waved the gun. "I'm borrowing this!" she chirped, and started out.

"I got her," Logan said, following after her.

She walked briskly towards the truck, and Logan stopped her. "What are you going to do, huh? Sit around and hope maybe he pops up? Let me take care of this, Sarah. He's my problem."

"You're one of them," she said. She didn't say it accusingly or questioningly. It was a simple fact.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"You know you were on that site too," she said.

"Yeah," he said again.

"I was convinced it was you. What with the big claws. But the second I saw your face, even online . . ." She shook her head. "I knew it couldn't be."

Logan was silent. No one had ever said anything to like that, except for . . .

Never mind. Too painful.

"I'm glad you're here, Logan," Sarah said. "But this isn't your fight. It's mine. He killed them, do you get that? My parents. They were all I had. I have to know why. I've lost my family, my job, my life. He has to pay for what he's done."

Logan sighed. "I'm coming with you."

Sarah smiled. "Well, duh."


	5. Chapter 5

Logan ran his finger over the slightly bent picture. Her smiling face looked up at him, mocking him with the fact he would never touch her again, never hold her in his arms. In the picture, her long, flame-like hair flowed around her easily in the slight breeze. Her green eyes were shinning and laughing.

His mind was full of _never-again's. _Her soft, sweet smelling hair he would never smell again as he held her close. Those eyes, those beautiful eyes that he would never gaze into again.

His heart broke again, for the umpteenth time.

_I'm here. _

The two simple words were short and, to some people, would appear meaningless. But to Logan, they meant everything. It was a sense of comfort to know she was still with him – and he certainly did know.

Logan felt Sarah sit beside her. She pushed some hair behind her ear, looking down at the photo. "She's pretty," Sarah said softly. "Is she yours?"

"She was," Logan said softly.

Sarah put her hand on Logan's. "She'll be waiting for you."

Logan nodded. Wanting to change the subject, he slipped the photo back into his wallet. "Ready to move?"

"Yeah," Sarah said. "Let's get it over with."

* * *

"You can really track him from here?"

Sarah and Logan stood in the exact spot where Sarah had been standing when Sabretooth had attacked. Logan nodded.

"It's faint, but it's there. He was headed for the highway," Logan said.

They followed the trail until they reached a dirt road. They followed it until it came out on the empty highway.

"He went towards the Virginia line," frowned Logan. "Where are you going, Victor?" He muttered.

Logan looked to the left, where a small bar sat alongside the highway. He and Sarah crossed and entered.

Logan looked around the smoke-filled bar. It was loud, but he knew where he'd find who he was looking for.

They were at the bar, their breath smelling of whiskey. Logan crossed his arms and looked at him. "You guys own the bikes parked out front?"

One of them sneered. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

There was a _skint! _and Logan held his claws under the mans chin. "Not anymore. Give me the keys."

The man was shaking. After relieving himself in his pants, he shakily handed Logan the keys.

"That one hell of a way to do it," Sarah said, and they got on the bike, strapping on their helmets.

"It's the Wolverine way, Ginger," Logan said.

Sarah tilted her head. "Wolverine. Is that your superhero name?"

"Nope," he said. "Now it's just my name."

He revved the bike, and followed after Sabretooths scent.

* * *

"Yeah, he was here, what's it to you?"

Logan and Sarah had just finished describing Sabretooth to a bartender, who, clearly bored, cleaned a glass as they talked. He was a little, weasel of a man, and sneered when he talked.

"Did he say where he was going?" Sarah asked.

"Don't remember," the bar tender snapped. "Buy something or get out."

Logan started to make his move, but Sarah held her hand up in front of him. She leaned across the counter, grabbed the front of the bar tenders shirt, and pulled him halfway over the counter.

"That man is a killer. You tell me which way he went, or I'll see to it you'll have to have a size eight boot removed from your ass."

The bar tender nervously pointed to the left. "He was on a bike, too. Asked me the quickest way to New York. I told him, how the hell should I know, I never been out of Virginia. Then he left."

"New York?" Logan asked suddenly. "What part of New York?"

"Said something about Westchester. Look, I don't know, man, he was only in here for a minute."

"You have a phone here?" Logan demanded.

The bartender nodded and pointed to the wall. Sarah released him, and he scrambled back against the wall.

Logan got to the phone and inserted a coin, dialing a number and waiting as it rang and rang and rang . . .

Finally someone picked up. Logan's eyes flashed slightly, Sarah noticed, but she didn't pry.

"It's me," Logan said.

He listened to what someone said on the other line said and continued.

"You know damn well who. Give the phone to someone else before I make gumbo outta you." He listened again. "Listen, when they get back –"

He was cut off, and after the person on the other line said something to him, Logan sighed. "Listen Cajun, I'm not in the mood. Now, I just got a tip that Sabretooth could be headed towards you all. Watch your backs." He frowned. "When I'm damn well ready, that's when!" And he slammed the phone against the receiver.

Logan's face burned with anger and frustration. He could almost _hear_ Remy laugh at him for being so flighty.

Logan and Sarah left the bar, and got on the bike.

"Trouble back home?" Sarah asked innocently.

Logan's eyes flashed to her, then back to the bike. "It's handled."

"Will they be able to handle Sabretooth by themselves?"

Logan grinned and tossed his arm around Sarah's shoulders. "You ain't never met the X-Men."


	6. Chapter 6

"What are they like?" Sarah asked as she and Logan stopped on their route to get a bite to eat.

"Who?" Logan asked.

"Your family."

Logan was silent. "They're all different, I guess."

"Do you love them?"

He nodded slowly. "Most of them."

"And the woman in the picture?"

"Especially her."

They were silent. Logan broke the silence. "What about you? No siblings or relatives?"

She shook her head. "My father's parents live in Palm Springs, but they don't want anything to do with me. They think I'm some backwoods horse trainer. Which I am," she laughed. "My mothers parents died when she was in her twenties. I had a baby brother, once. He got real sick right after he was born. Didn't make it two months."

"I'm sorry," Logan said.

Sarah said. "It will be better when Sabretooth is six feet under."

"I told you," Logan warned. "You probably won't be able to kill him. Stun him, yeah. Maybe he'll die for a while. But that's it. He always comes back."

"Then I guess you'll just have to cut his head off," Sarah said cheerfully.

Logan grinned slightly. "Let's get some rest," he said.

They were parked outside a motel. They got a cheap room. Logan volunteered to sleep on the sofa, and Sarah took the bed graciously.

* * *

"_Logan. Logan, here I am."_

Logan could make out her blurry figure, moving towards him slowly in a thick fog.

"_I'm here, Logan. I'll always be here."_

"I'm sorry!" Logan cried out, dropping to his knees. "Aw, God, I'm so sorry . . ."

"_It's alright, Logan. I'm here with you. You know that? I'm here."_

"Come closer!" Logan begged. "Please! Please, just let me . . ."

Everything was fading.

Logan sat upright, panicked, and looked around the room, half expecting her to be standing in front of him, her arms waiting.

But it was dark. Sarah was sound asleep, snoring softly.

Logan leaned back again, sweating, his heart racing.

"Jeez," he sighed. "I'm so sorry . . ."

* * *

"This doesn't make sense!"

Sarah growled and kicked the dirt. "He's leading us all over the place!"

Logan couldn't figure it out either. Sabretooths moves were erratic and last minute. He obviously had no plan.

Or did he?

Logan suddenly saw it – it wasn't erratic. He was leading them in a circle. Straight back to Sarahs house.

He had laid a false trail, trying to get them to New York.

But why?

Logan quickly shared the theory with Sarah, whose eyes flashed. "Let's get him."

They arrived back at Sarah's house within several hours. Sabretooths scent was stale in her house, but he had defiantly been there. His trail led into the woods.

"I'm going to look for him," Logan said. Sarah started to object, but Logan stopped her. "It's too dark out. You'll make noise and slow me down."

Finally, they agreed. While Logan was gone, Sarah set to work making sure nothing was too amiss in her home. She loaded the wood stove, and made tea.

"Sarah? Are you back?"

The door opened, and Deputy Fred Fisher entered.

"Hi, Fred," she said. "Yeah, we just got home. Tea?"

"Love some," he said, sitting down at the table.

"Listen, Sarah," he said. "I did some digging around and came up with some stuff. I think I might have found the cause of your parents murder."

Sarah gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh Fred!"

He passed her a folder, which she eagerly opened.

"I think your dad was working with a mutant project," he said. "Weapon X is what it's called. It was top secret. That Sabretooth guy, the one you told me about? He was a part of it. I'm thinking maybe your father wanted out, and that was unacceptable, so they had him . . . well, you know. And it looked like an animal all these years."

"Fred, this is amazing!" Sarah said. "I don't know what to say. Thank you!"

Fred turned pink. "Aw, hey, it was nothing. I just wanted to help out. I mean, that's my job, right –"

He stopped mid sentence. His eyes widened, and he jumped up, knocking his chair over as he drew his gun and pointed at something over Sarah's shoulder.

Sarah was quick to react. She ducked and rolled to the other side of the room.

The waiting claws of Sabretooth just missed her.


	7. Chapter 7

"Who are you?" Fred demanded, his gun pointed squarely at Sabretooths chest.

"That's him, Fred!" Sarah warned. "Get down!"

It was too late; as Sabretooth stepped forward, Fred fired, hitting Sabretooths shoulder.

It just made the mutant angry, and he smacked his fist against the side of Fred's head. Fred fell backwards, landing hard on the floor.

"You killed him!" Sarah exclaimed.

"I didn't kill him," Sabretooth said. "Just hit him." He grabbed Sarah's upper arm, yanking her upward.

"What do you want?" She snapped, trying to pull away. His claws dug deeper as he dragged her outside. "Let go! Where are you taking me?"

"I'm going to kill Logan," Sabretooth said, sneering. "And you're going to help me."

"Like hell!" Sarah spat, struggling to get out of his grip. He was at least twice her strength, though, and it was useless.

"Stop squirming," the large mutant grumbled. "I need you conscious."

"Why are you here?" she demanded. "Why did you kill my parents?"

"It had to be done," he grinned. "If your father hadn't gotten squeamish with the Weapon X program, there wouldn't have been a problem. But he had to go and steal those top secret files of his."

"Why are you back here, though?" she asked. "What did I ever do?"

"We were told you were digging around on government sights," he said. "I figured I could just burn the house down, with you in it. Then no one would hear from you again, and those still hidden files would be outta the way. But then you had to go and team up with Logan. Which is _perfect. _Now I get to kill you both."

Sarah's eye widened, and with her free hand, she grabbed the shovel leaning against the shed, and swung it around. It hit Sabretooth square in the face.

She escaped his grip and started to run. Sabretooth caught up with her easily, though, and shoved her to the ground, putting his weight on top of her and trapping both her arms.

"Please don't make me tie you up," he growled. "It's a pain in the ass."

He shoved her face into the ground, and she did exactly what Sabretooth wanted her to do.

She screamed.

* * *

Something was wrong. Logans instincts told him so as he made his way back to Sarahs house. Sabretooths trail had, once again, taken him in a circle. Logan was now fearful for Sarah.

It was worse when he heard her scream.

He took off running, his heart racing.

He burst into the dark farmyard, looking around frantically. His eyes landed on Sarah, who now laid unconscious on the ground.

Logan just barely dodged Sabretooths attack. He had ducked just in time.

But Sabretooth was expecting it. He stomped down on Logan's chest, crushing his ribs. His claws gleamed in the moonlight, before slashing across Logan's throat.

* * *

"_Logan. Wake up now, Logan. Open your eyes. Come on, Logan."_

Logan's eyes flew open. He was in a warm, fresh meadow. Bright flowers in red, yellows, and oranges bloomed around him. The sky was a beautiful red as the sun set over the ocean, which he could see shinning a few meters away.

His head was laying in someone's lap. Soft, gentle fingers ran through his hair and traced his face. Long red hair tickled his nose, and he smiled at a familiar sweet scent.

He looked straight up. She was staring down at him, her fingers continuing to run through his hair and down his face. Her beautiful, green eyes were shinning. She had a loving smile on her face as she caressed Logan.

He lifted his hand, taking hers in it. She squeezed gently, and a tear rolled down Logan's cheek.

"You're alright now, Logan," she said softly, and at her clear, gentle voice, Logan couldn't stop another tear.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Shh," she said, smiling. "There's nothing to apologize for. I'm so _proud_ of you, Logan."

Logan didn't say anything, just intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I don't want to leave you," he said.

"I know," she said simply.

"But I have too, don't I?"

"Yes."

His eyes were wet and hot, and he stubbornly tried to blink them away. He sat up to face her, and she took his face in her hands.

Logan put his hand in her hair, running through the soft, silky strands that were so familiar to him. They stood, and he embraced her, holding her tight, never wanting to let go.

"Don't ever leave me," he said into her hair.

"I won't," she replied. "I swear it."

Logan pulled away and kissed her forehead.

She leaned against him. "You have to go now. Go save Sarah."

Logan gave a nod.

He took one last, long look at her.

"I love you."

She smiled. "Wake up, Logan."

"_Wake up . . ."_

"_Wake Up . . ."_

* * *

Sarah came too slowly, her head pounding. She saw Sabretooth tear at Logan's throat, and stood as quietly as she could. She stumbled to the porch, where she grabbed the shotgun leaning against her bench. She aimed, but was shaky.

Sabretooth turned in time to see her aim. She shot, but the bullet missed. She cursed. Sabretooth was upon her in a moment, smacking the gun from her hand.

Sarah held her hands up to block her face.

Then there was a crash, and the sound of galloping hooves. Sarah opened her eyes and toppled backwards as Dodger raced across the farmyard. When he was upon Sabretooth, he reared up, kicking his front feet, before bringing them down solidly.

Sarah heard the sickening crunch as the mutants neck and chest were crushed. Dodger turned and with a powerful kick, threw the unconscious mutant across the yard.

And he laid still.

"Good boy," Sarah said softly, stroking Dodgers nose.

She helped Logan up, whose neck was growing back from the thin strand that Sabretooth had failed to sever.

"Are you alright?" Sarah asked. "You're smiling."

Logan smiled wider and wrapped his arms around Sarah.

She stood rigid, before finally giving in and hugging back.

Logan suddenly threw her to the ground. Sarah looked up, confused, until she saw Sabretooth rising up against Logan.

With one sharp movement and a flash of adamantium, Sabretooth stopped and swayed.

Then his head toppled from his body, and he was finished.

This time, it was Sarah who hugged Logan.

"That oughta do him in for a while," Logan said.


	8. Chapter 8

Logan tossed his backpack over his shoulder, walking out to the driveway. Sarah and Fred were waiting for him at the end.

Fred's head was bandaged, and Sarah had several stitches in her head. They both looked healthy, and to Logan's surprise, they were holding hands.

Fred held his hand out to Logan, and Logan accepted the act of friendship. He took his hand in kind.

"Come back any time," Fred said. "Stay out of trouble."

Logan gave him a nod, and turned to Sarah. She smiled, and wrapped her arms around him. He held her, too, for a few long moments before pulling away.

Sarah kissed his cheek and smiled at him. "Promise you'll visit?"

"I swear," he nodded, hugging her once more.

Sarah was happy. Her parent's deaths were avenged and she had gotten her answers.

"Where will you go now?" She asked her friend.

Logan shrugged. "Thought I might head back to New York. Maybe stop in at the Baxter Building. Or relax at Stark Tower. It's been a long week."

Sarah's smile widened. "Logan. Thank you."

Logan nodded, not good with goodbyes. He shifted uncomfortably.

"I'll see you soon," Sarah stated. Not a question.

Logan nodded. "You can count on it, Ginger."

He tossed his bag into the truck, and hopped in. He waved as he pulled away. Fred put his arm around Sarah, and the two waved goodbye.

Logan kept driving, stopping only once to remove a picture from his wallet. He smiled at it for a moment.

Then he headed for Westchester.


	9. Chapter 9 Epilogue -A word from Deadpool

Greetings, all!

I just wanted to take a moment to point out that I am _not _featured in the story, which is my first complaint.

Second complaint! I was for sure Logan and Sarah were gonna hook up! They spent all that time together and for what? Nothing. Nada. Not bumping uglys, nothing. I mean, talk about Ending-Of-The-First-_Blade_-Movie-Moment! Hell, talk about the Ending-Of-The-_Second_-Blade-Movie-Moment!

Third complaint! All the Jean Grey references! We get it, she's dead, Logan's pissed. I was too when she died. Never did get into her pants. And I bet there's a bunch of FF readers out there thinking, hmm, wonder who the red head that Logan is so hooked up on is? DUH! Only the love of Logan's life, of course! Not counting the other loves of his life that he's disregarded! Why must they always die? Sigh. Of course, there's an idea to get rid of Weasel with . . . maybe if I hook him up with Logan, he'll die too . . .

Also, Sabretooth is smelly. Just saying.

And why did it take place is West Virginia?! When most people think about Good Ol' WV they see rednecks and kissin' cousins. Hmm. Maybe something to do with the fact CrosserX lives in WV, born and raised? Nahh, that's probably not it . . .

By the way, Sarah getting together with the Mustache-Wonder-Deputy? Nice touch. Didn't see that coming.

If you guys want a REAL story, check out MINE! There's uglys bumping, superheros, and most importantly ME.

Wilson and Watsons Guide to Anti-Heroism!

Chimichangas,

Deadpool.


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